[crow]

If they stayed alert, they might catch onto what it was. Suvi herself wasn't terribly attentive, after all.

Soon enough, they managed to ascertain what had gotten her attention. There was a faint rustling in the hay somewhere, as if something was moving around in there.

Rhodes and Sivain were both on alert now. Suvi seemed excited, and not at all alarmed, but that wasn't the case for the two of them. They didn't know what was in there. Maybe it was harmless, but maybe it wasn't...

[Barn - 62]

[crow]

Even if it wasn't some sort of monster, there were plenty of perfectly mundane animals that could pose a danger to someone. A venomous snake, for one, came easily to mind when one thought about such dangers; or perhaps a raccoon that had snuck in somehow, carrying a disease. Even common creatures like that couldn't be underestimated.

The barn looked new, but there was no telling what exactly it housed, and they hadn't seen anything even resembling a keeper to this place here just yet.

[Barn - 63]

[crow]

The lack of a visible owner in itself was plenty of reason to be suspicious. Why leave such an obviously new barn unattended? Why hadn't they seen hide nor hair of another soul while they were here? These were thoughts that Rhodes had chosen not to dwell on before now, but at the first sign of potential danger, they came back to him all at once.

Suvi hadn't been expecting to find anything alive, but she adapted quickly. "See, the criminal appears at last!" she said.

[Barn - 64]

[crow]

But even she dropped her words to a fervent whisper. Though, then again, Rhodes figured that her concern was more with frightening the animal or whatever it was away, rather than not wanting to provoke it before they understood what the situation was.

She considered the pitchfork in her hands for a moment, then set it down. Rhodes didn't know if the choice was a wise one or not. Stabbing the pitchfork into the hay pile would certainly have been seen as an attack, but...

[Barn - 65]

[crow]

Trying to rifle through it with her bare hands didn't seem like a good way to go either. At least with the pitchfork there was something between her and the thing, which might have given her an extra second or two to react. And that might have made a difference, if it came to that.

Fortunately, at that moment, Sivain spoke up. "Suvi, step back," he said. His voice was low, but it carried to her, and there was an assertiveness in his tone that made her look back uncertainly at him.

[Barn - 66]

[crow]

Her eyes were full of questions, but Sivain's face had become closed off. For the moment, there were no answers for her there, and arguably not much in the way of comfort either. He simply inclined his head to indicate that she should get behind him, and slowly inched forward.

Rhodes, for his part, now disembarked from Sivain's shoulder, landing neatly and noiselessly upon the ground. He could have stayed, but he figured it was better for someone to stay back and protect Suvi.

[Barn - 67]

[crow]

Moreover, Sivain was an experienced combatant, and adept at defending himself, so there was no need for Rhodes to concern himself with Sivain. And staying with him might have made Rhodes himself a weak point, forcing Sivain to devote valuable time and effort into shielding Rhodes as he fought.

For reasons of practicality, it was better for Sivain to fight alone. It was what he was used to, and what he had done at the front in the war for some time now.

[Barn - 68]

[crow]

Having to do it again here shouldn't have been anything new, even if it was unexpected. Catching Sivain off guard was the only real difference that the location had made. But the element of surprise had already been lost at this point, and so the only real difference would have been if he was facing an opponent that was significantly smaller than the kind he was used to fighting.

But even then, not all soldiers in the war were human; some were more like Rhodes.

[Barn - 69]

[crow]

Sivain would have had experience, surely, even with foes smaller than himself.

Though it was also true that, of late, he seemed to be fighting more enemies where he was the one with the gross disadvantage in size. The monster that had terrorized the ranks of both the Imperials and Purines came to mind. Rhodes hadn't been there, but he had seen a little of the body, and heard the news about the grisly fates of its victims... It wasn't a comforting thought.

[Barn - 70]

[crow]

Something like that was hardly about to come charging out of them from a pile of hay though. At least Rhodes had that much assurance, even if it wasn't as much as he would have liked.

Suvi was beginning to look a little nervous now. It was probably only just occurring to her that whatever was in the hay might even have been dangerous. And it wasn't any leap of logic on her part either; it was more that Sivain looked as though he was taking it seriously.

[Barn - 71]

[crow]

And Sivain wasn't the sort to play pranks on her either, so if he acted as though he thought there was danger about, he must really have believed it.

"Rhodes, what's happening?" she whispered, shrinking back slightly as she spoke the question. Her brows were furrowed in concern, and her hands were clasped together, fingers wringing against each other. Likely as not, she would have liked to hold someone's hand just then, but unfortunately Rhodes wasn't exactly equipped to oblige her in that respect.

[Barn - 72]

[crow]

All he could offer her was verbal reassurance... Or, barring that, at least an explanation, as she was requesting. "We don't know what could be in there," he said, jumping up onto her shoulder.

The sudden weight made her flinch, which in turn made Rhodes' footing uneven, but he had been prepared for that. This wasn't something he often did to her, but on this occasion he thought that the weight of himself and the press of his flank against the back of her neck might be reassuring.

[Barn - 73]

[crow]

Of course, he had to hope she wouldn't move in a way that dislodged him, but Rhodes was pretty confident in his ability to hold on. He had a great deal of practice, some of it on a flying target, as when his mistress had flown on her broom.

Besides, this way it would be easier to speak to her, with his head close to where her ear was. Human hearing often left a great deal to be desired, while the hearing of many animals was far sharper.

[Barn - 74]

[crow]

Being able to keep his voice a little lower might yet be an advantage, with that in mind. "It may not be dangerous," he went on, "but we thought it best for Sivain to deal with it in case it is. There may be a snake hiding under there, for example."

"A snake?" said Suvi. 'Relief' might have been a strong word for the expression that passed over her features but she did look a little less nervous after listening to what Rhodes had said.

[Barn - 75]

[crow]

The grip her hands had on one another wasn't quite so tight as it had been a moment ago.

Rhodes understood this. In fact, the explanation that he had given her had been given with the express intent of calming her down. If he had merely assured her that nothing was wrong and that everything would be alright, it wouldn't have helped to the same extent--- at least, he didn't think so, anyway. There was no logic to those claims, after all.

[Barn - 76]